Van Cleef & Arpels pour Homme by Van Cleef & Arpels

Addictive moss, does it remind you of Antaeus? It does for me, but Pour Homme is better for me: perhaps less refined, but with a more masculine and powerful imprint; a great classic. I wore it today and they told me I smell like a dandy XD.

Overwhelming, manly and absolute. Its trail is immense, the longevity goes beyond limits, and the blend of leather, roses and woody base has made me receive compliments from everywhere. As cons, little versatility: only cold nights (where it has no rival) and mature, formal public. Nothing youthful or for parties, it’s more like an intimate and fiery dinner with your partner. It has become my favourite and I don’t think I’m the only one who dreams of seeing it again, perhaps its withdrawal from the market enhances its legacy as a closely guarded secret, alien to time and commercial trends. It is unique, but the best are the memories that come when I apply it.

Let’s say God exists. A Gnostic God, immaterial, inaccessible. It would be absurd to ask what it smells like. But we can certainly fantasise about lower deities. In my experience, I would assign two to the myth of the androgyne: the feminine Jaipur by Boucheron and the masculine Van Cleef & Arpels Pour Homme. I will write about the first another day. I first sniffed VC&A PH on a rainy Day of the Dead. I had read about it but didn’t know what to find. I thought few scenarios were better for that first encounter: not because of the roses in the graves or the cypresses, nor because of my black leather jacket, despite all that being here. It was ideal because they are usually introspective days, for reflection. I will start by saying it doesn’t seem tectic to me, I see it as more diurnal than nocturnal. It smells of a dense, wet and silent forest. It is challenging at first, like choosing a new path. But as we go deeper into the thickets we become familiar with the vegetation, we adapt our pace to the roots. The heather mixes with aromatic herbs, scrub and green vapours from the stream. Everything is green, but dark green. There is gravity and natural magnificence, like a millennial oak forest. When I spray myself, I feel back in Arcadia, connected to those forests of offerings and prayers, source of abundance and mortal trap. For an urbanite like me, a luxury I will treasure until the last drop. May these scents have no place in contemporary perfumery…

I need to know where the perfumer’s grave is and take him flowers (roses) if he is dead, or a trophy for the perfume of the history… This fragrance fell in love with me at first sniff. It spoke to me of a warm pink soap paste, vintage and masculine, that over time gets dirty, becomes sweaty, spicy and testosterone-laden… It is in my top 10 of all time. I read that a perfume serves to feel clean and to seduce; this does both: it starts clean and soapy, then gets dirty and sweaty for a man. Something particular happened to me: after sleeping with my girlfriend, the next day my white shirt still smelled of the fragrance. When I woke up, my wife took my shirt, brought it to her face, closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She looked at me with a complacent smile and said that the smell of my sweat she liked; clearly the shirt smelled of Van Cleef & Arpels. She never said she liked the perfume, but the smell of my sweat. This is the reinterpretation of a sweaty man, in the best way possible. It may not sound politically correct or seem grotesque, but such are things, human and animal nature communicate with smell, automatic tastes… It is not for everyone and must be used with moderation: less is more. I usually use one and nothing more on the stomach, talking about the spray. Thus you receive delicious breaths and an aura of masculinity, excellent longevity and quality. If you want, reapply every 3-4 hours without exceeding. If you like exclusive vintage and seductive masculines, you must try it.

Puff perfumón at a bargain price. I must admit I love perfumes for older people with a barber touch. Only that there is a problem with this beauty… it doesn’t fit what I want to project nor my personality. I bought it because it is a VERY good fragrance with excellent projection and longevity, although strictly for autumn/winter because it is a dense lotion that to my psyche suggests the hug of a father or the memories of when the grandfather shaved and put all his arsenal of ointments (now after shave). I spray it to evoke those memories rather than for my use. I don’t think I will ever use it because even as an old man I imagine fragrances of another style… more of an adventurous grandfather than the tender conscious grandfather. 9/10.

Hello. I’ve just managed to get a batch from April 2017. This fragrance is a work of art. Thank you Van Cleef & Arpels.

There’s not much to say about this perfume. The only thing is that it’s the best perfume in the history of men’s perfumery. It’s everything others wanted to be and couldn’t. Floral woody and armoured. Masculine intense elegant. With impressive projection and trail. With personality ideal for night and winter. It’s the Bohemian Rhapsody of perfumes: from the 70s but still a beast today and nobody has surpassed it.

In my review from months ago I innocently proclaimed it a natural survivor since 1978. It was a bad omen. Once again a perfume of such solidity withdraws from a market invaded by tepid waters and uniform character. This sudden disappearance doesn’t amuse me but I prefer a sudden death to a disrespectful reformulation which is the usual. Van Cleef & Arpels Pour Homme has disappeared with relative dignity. That’s no small thing. But I insist it doesn’t amuse me. It was my blackest rose.

Good afternoon thanks Espartaco for your review to which I have little to add just my experience. ‘Pour Homme’ by Van Cleef & Arpels is masculine but I bought it for myself a year ago. If you look at the components it’s perfectly unisex. It’s a chypre-leather powdery dark mysterious and of evident quality. It goes perfectly for a cold made-up night with elegant clothing. Created in 1978 it stays true to itself. It shouldn’t please the majority which is why they discontinued it. I was pleasantly surprised by its low price when I bought it on offer. Now if you find it it’s worth a fortune. Before it was unique now it’s exclusive. Another great perfume out of play. What joy to have an almost full bottle! I’ll keep it as a treasure. A few drops are enough. The packaging is very elegant in black the colour par excellence. Greetings.

Unruly, masculine, and wild; it claims territory wherever you step. It is one of the few fragrances that still truly impress me; it suits someone who lives between the woods and the city, or for extreme disciplines like bullfighting where you need courage. It is one of those scents you would buy multiple times in a lifetime. Juniper, lavender, leather, and a rose reminiscent of Cartier du Soir or Chanel’s Antaeus… nothing for the masses with tastes like Invictus or Cool Water. This Van Cleef is more like a fine aged spirit for connoisseurs who have moved past buying what is shoved at them on television. The opening is very distinct: juniper, lavender, oakmoss, and a red rose that flirts elegantly, smelling of a real, masculine rose. Then the woody notes, bergamot, and others release their spell and will captivate anyone seeking a fragrance with character. By the way, similar to Chanel Antaeus, Boucheron Pour Homme, or Paco Rabanne Pour Homme…

When someone mentions rose in a men’s perfume, my memory unleashes a crushing black colour, rigorous, that leaves a scar. Van Cleef & Arpels Pour Homme is a tribute to that rose and its pairing with leather, something from another era. This composition of strong musky leather, patchouli, and a dense rose wrapping, coated with wild notes, stands firm and is magnificent, at the antipodes of fashionable aromas. And yet, when someone perceives I am wearing Van Cleef without knowing what it is, I always receive a favourable judgement and suppress a smile of wounded pride in defence of this old scent, away from trends, which has triumphed again. It is a natural survivor, launched in 1978 at a brilliant moment, among the irrepeatable jewels of the seventies and the gems of the eighties, which has arrived today with uncommon force. Pour Homme is singularly potent and its development, which on my skin resizes the leather and darkens the rose until it almost disappears, prolongs its longevity. The final stage might be too wild for me, dirtier and more animalistic than the ideal dictates. Because in my experience, once the black rose disappears, the perfume, while retaining that colour, turns brown, very brown; delicacy is followed by astringencies and dryness, between dirty skins and sour smells. That is why I believe it seduces upon spraying and surprises afterwards. The kindness of the almost powdery rose gives way to a putrid sea that confirms its complexity, moving between opposites. I do not understand why it reminds me so much of Chanel’s Antaeus, given that the dirty touch of the latter does not disproportionately increase its projection, but rather conserves its “contained” character until the end. Perhaps they are fourth cousins, but that places them in very distant locations. Perhaps Oscar de la Renta Pour Lui, in the dry-down phase, suggests more proximity. Van Cleef Pour Homme is a wonderful leather rose, with sharp profiles, which has crossed more than forty years with astonishment, conserving its vigour, and whose knowledge imposes itself on every good enthusiast. Magnificent perfume. Best regards.

An Old School fragrance. I tried it yesterday taking advantage of the cold, where it performs perfectly. It is an aroma from the old school (80s); masculine, bold, powerful, you do not go unnoticed because it requires character to wear it. With two sprays, it is more than enough to leave a good trail and the longevity is superb. Recommended from 35-40 years of age and for cold nights.

Incredible fragrance, unique, it brings me too many memories. Although I am 26 years old, it takes me back to my childhood; I do not know who wore it but it clearly transports me to when I was a child, and also to my travels through Europe, as I used this perfume back then. It is incredible because as soon as I put it on, it transports me to those impressive travels. It is dry and quite intrusive, but what is wrong with such an aroma being intrusive? I received many compliments even from young people. It is very similar to TSAR but the latter is not even half as spectacular. Van Cleef Arpels Pour Homme Scent 9/10 Trail 10/10 Longevity 10/10 Age: 25 and up.

Dark and penetrating fragrance. As my dear Lex Ellis would say, it is Patrick Bateman’s signature fragrance. By day a distinguished lawyer, and by night a serial killer. That combination is Pour Homme. A true masterpiece appreciated by true connoisseurs. The rest go for One Million and company.